Local History: Missionary priest from NEPA died a martyr

Father Gerard A. Donovan was in the sanctuary of his parish church in Fushun, Manchuria, China, leading the rosary on the evening of Oct. 5, 1937, when a stranger entered with a piece of paper in his hand. Father Jerry, as he was known, led the man into the sacristy where Francis Liu, a 17-year-old seminarian, was lighting charcoal for benediction.

The stranger drew a revolver and forced both the priest and the young seminarian into the churchyard, where a second man waited. The kidnappers led their captives into the cold darkness, the priest clad only in cassock and surplice, the boy in a cassock alone.

A McKeesport native, Father Donovan was a member of the Maryknoll order and had taught Latin and mathematics at the Venard school in Clarks Summit before leaving for his missionary duties to China, according to The Scranton Times report of the story. Father Donovan had been sent to Fushun to replace the Rev. Frank Mullen, who was given a yearlong leave to return to his home in Pittston.

The Chinese Army, the news report said, dispatched 300 soldiers to search for Father Donovan. The Chinese people, the American consul and Japanese officials all made every effort to bring about his release, according to information obtained from the Maryknoll Mission Archives.

On Oct. 20, an Associated Press story claimed that Father Donovan had been released. This report proved to be false. The kidnappers did release young Francis Liu, along with a demand of $50,000 ransom for the release of Father Donovan. Information from the Maryknoll archives notes that, "in line with the general policy of refusing to pay ransom for missioners kidnapped by bandits, this demand had to be rejected." The boy reported that the bandits were treating Father Donovan well, but that the food they were given was aggravating the priest's stomach ailment.

The frigid winter months of Manchuria passed with other rumors about the status of the case. On Feb. 11, 1938, The Scranton Times reported that the frozen body of Father Donovan had been found in the town of Huai Jenhsien in the northern section of Antung province. According to details from the Maryknoll archives, a bruise over Father Donovan's right temple suggested that he might have been hit with a blunt instrument before he was strangled. His feet, without shoes, were in such bad condition that "it was obvious he could no longer walk." Japanese military authorities found his body. Father Thomas Quirk and a Mr. Ludden of the American Consulate identified his remains and informed the Maryknoll headquarters in New York state. The following day, a Pontifical Requiem Mass was celebrated at Maryknoll, with a eulogy given by Bishop James E. Walsh.

Father Donovan was the first Maryknoll missionary to die violently in China, according to Maryknoll archivist Cassandra Brewer. Typically, a missionary priest who dies overseas is buried there, but the Maryknoll Fathers decided to have Father Donovan's body returned to the United States. A military escort accompanied its transportation from Huai Jenhsien to Fushun. He was temporarily interred in a cemetery in Hopei. A Mass was celebrated for him on Feb. 16, with a eulogy delivered by Monsignor Raymond A. Lane, a superior in that mission region at the time who, as a youth, had been the first Maryknoll seminarian to arrive in Scranton.

Father Donovan's body was sent to San Francisco on April 25, aboard the liner SS Chichibu Maru, accompanied by the Rev. Joseph Connors. A Pontifical Requiem Mass was celebrated at St. Mary's Cathedral on April 27. When the body arrived at Maryknoll, Father Donovan's brother, the Rev. Joseph Donovan, celebrated Mass. One final Mass was celebrated on May 2 with a procession of 500.

A martyr to his faith, Father Donovan was 33 years old at the time of his death. He is interred at the Mary-knoll cemetery in New York.

Special thanks to the Maryknoll Mission Archives for assistance with this column.

CHERYL A. KASHUBA is a freelance writer specializing in local history. Visit her at scrantonhistory.com.

Contact the writer: localhistory@ timesshamrock.com

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